Sweet sketches from the good old days

Childhood influences tend to have a lasting impact -- G.I. Joe forever taught you to not touch hot stoves, and Joe Camel was so cool you...hey, is that a stove? Celebrating other childhood coolness, Ben Rumback.

A Chi dude who's had a sketchbook in hand for as long as he can remember, BR cranks out cartoony, comic book-esque artwork with a heavy emphasis on pictures of bygone pop cultural touchstones, but not Touchstone Pictures, because Jerry Bruckheimer's art cannot be improved. There's a heavy dose of Star Wars including "BFF", with a blaster-toting Han Solo and Chewbacca against a backdrop of stars, plus superhero action like "Meow", with a lascivious Catwoman toying playfully with yarn, appropriate, as that's what you spin when it comes to lascivious women. The Mario franchise is also well-repped, as in "Oh No You Didn't", a close-up view of a white-suited Mario poised to unleash a fireball, plus a series of "Spooks", the ghosts that would stop and hide their faces if Mario looked at them, though you'd think they'd have more courage considering they were all Boos'd up.

Because it's nice when art is a little more interactive, he also crafts custom Muppet-style puppets, which...hey, can you get one in that guy's van that's full of toys and candy?